In their last test match of 2009 the Silver Ferns have been defeated, for only the second time, by a resurgent Jamaica, 53-50.

 Jamaica stormed back to level their series against the Silver Ferns with a 53-50 win in the 2nd Test in Kingston today.

It was only the second win for Jamaica against the Silver Ferns and completes a successful two weeks for the Sunshine Girls, who also drew their series against world champions Australia last week.

See below for Match Stats.

The Silver Ferns won the 1st Test 61-56.

Jamaica started slowly but roared back into contention with a strong second quarter to gain the impetus in today's match. Despite a game fightback, the Silver Ferns never fully recovered and were unable to stifle the combined confidence, athleticism and flair of the Jamaicans.

It was all the Silver Ferns early on as the visitors made a clinical start, and an almost seamless adjustment to changes in their line-up which included wing attack Liana Barrett-Chase having her first match since the 1st Holden Test against Australia on 6 September. Other changes had captain Casey Williams slotting in at goal keeper, Joline Henry at goal defence and Laura Langman at wing defence.

The Silver Ferns showed plenty of fluency with the attacking line on song as they found an easy passage towards goal. Shooters Irene van Dyk and Maria Tutaia continued their strong form of the first test, revelling in the steady supply of ball to keep the scorecard ticking over as the Silver Ferns built a handy lead. Jamaica surged back late in the quarter to close the gap, as the Silver Ferns headed into the first break with a 16-14 lead.

The Jamaicans showed their fighting spirit to turn the game around completely in the second quarter. A lift in defensive pressure, especially by Nicole Aiken and Althea Byfield, continued to hustle and force the Silver Ferns into errors. At the other end of the court, the impressive shooting combination of Romelda Aiken and captain Simone Forbes, showing her great distribution skills, found their groove as Jamaica's confidence continued to grow.

On a roll, Jamaica quickly levelled the scores before hitting the lead for the first time in the match and going on to extend the margin.

Jamaica's growing ascendancy resulted in a reshuffle for the Silver Ferns with Barrett-Chase returning to the bench, Langman moving up one to centre, Temepara George going to wing attack and Larrissa Willcox coming on at wing defence for her first involvement in the match.

Great defensive pressure from the home team continued to hold the Silver Ferns at bay as Jamaica restricted the visitors to just five goals while scoring 13 of their own to head into halftime handily placed at 27-21.

Katrina Grant was introduced at goal defence in the second half as the Silver Ferns set about on a rescue mission with a shorter style of game. Strong defensive pressure and short zippy passing helped the Silver Ferns chip back the deficit.

Momentum swung back and forth between the teams as each enjoyed dominant passages in the third stanza but it was the Silver Ferns who had marginally the better of the exchanges as they grabbed two goals back.

With their aerial skills to the fore, Jamaica showed no signs of easing off against the world No. 2 side as they held on to a 40-36 lead at the last break.
With a view to the future, Silver Ferns coach Ruth Aitken replaced van Dyk with Paula Griffin for the last quarter.  Playing catch-up, the Silver Ferns battled valiantly to stay in touch in the final 15 minutes, but could not break Jamaica's hold on the game where they excelled with the high ball into the imposing 1.96m frame of Aiken.